35 thoughts on “Why Hawaii Airports Are A Hot Mess Now”
Anu_P
This is a disaster because the decision to install the new equipment is in the middle of peak tourist season. This is yet another lack of foresight on the planners in our government. October install would’ve been better suited for this. Also, telling flyers that you’ll have a shade cover in a month is ridiculous. Go to Walmart and buy 20 EZ ups and set them up. Action!
Maybe it’s because I lived on Maui for 8 years and Oahu 11 but I just don’t get who or why anyone is going now.. Ill wait for everyone to clear out.
I live Kauai and was flying to Oahu recently. Had heard about the long lines so I got to Lihue airport 2+hours early, for my early morning flight. There were no lines, no problem at all. So I sat and read the news for a couple of hours. Better safe than sorry!
Also, I have TSA precheck and very rarely do I get to use it at Lihue– that line is just usually not open, in my experience. Didn’t get to at HNL either– not sure if it was because I was on a cheap Southwest flight or what but I did enter my TSA precheck number in when I booked the flight, but that wasn’t reflected on my ticket– so I was stuck in the regular line.
The regular line at HNL on Sunday afternoon wasn’t anything out of the normal.
Remember there is a usually short line for the agriculture checkpoint, which you have to go through first, before checking your bags.
At the Honolulu airport we arrived 2.25 hours before the flight. After waiting in a very long line to drop off our bags (Southwest Airlines), we went straight through security (Pre-Check) and to the gate and boarding had started. We could have missed our flight if we didn’t get there early.
I think we will get there 3 hours early next time.
My wife and I just returned from a trip to Kauai from Sacramento, CA. While we have been hearing of problems at the airports and with flights, we did not experience any problems. We flew Hawaiian Airlines. All flights were on time (2 flights to and from the mainland and 2 inter-island). We had no problems at the airports. We were TSA Pre (worth the expense) and got through Lihue’s TSA quickly (we estimate that the non-Pre line was about a 20 minute wait). We hope our experiences become the rule and not the exception.
We have been a fair amount of times and never had an issue but in February, my husband was delayed at baggage check for so long that he missed the flight, leaving me to fly home alone with our 3 young kids! 😳 In that instance, their system wasn’t working properly and there was only one employee manning a long line of people. They weren’t even able to answer the radio when the flight staff tried calling down to them. It was bananas!! We will definitely be leaving hours early next trip!
It almost seems like Hawaii does not want tourist to visit the islands? Is this not Hawaiian’s main form of income? With tourism down what are Hawaiians doing for work?
Tourism is up, and like everywhere else we are having staffing shortages. Seems like we don’t have a slow season anymore. It’s either insanely busy or busy,
It’s really too bad our 50th state has so many problems and its number one income is tourism? Who wants to go to a place where you have so many problems with everything, just a mess. no thanks
B
This is a disaster because the decision to install the new equipment is in the middle of peak tourist season. This is yet another lack of foresight on the planners in our government. October install would’ve been better suited for this. Also, telling flyers that you’ll have a shade cover in a month is ridiculous. Go to Walmart and buy 20 EZ ups and set them up. Action!
Maybe it’s because I lived on Maui for 8 years and Oahu 11 but I just don’t get who or why anyone is going now.. Ill wait for everyone to clear out.
It won’t be long!
I get to the airport 3 hoursI, advance. If you are aware, just go early.
I live Kauai and was flying to Oahu recently. Had heard about the long lines so I got to Lihue airport 2+hours early, for my early morning flight. There were no lines, no problem at all. So I sat and read the news for a couple of hours. Better safe than sorry!
Also, I have TSA precheck and very rarely do I get to use it at Lihue– that line is just usually not open, in my experience. Didn’t get to at HNL either– not sure if it was because I was on a cheap Southwest flight or what but I did enter my TSA precheck number in when I booked the flight, but that wasn’t reflected on my ticket– so I was stuck in the regular line.
The regular line at HNL on Sunday afternoon wasn’t anything out of the normal.
Thank you for all the information.
Remember there is a usually short line for the agriculture checkpoint, which you have to go through first, before checking your bags.
At the Honolulu airport we arrived 2.25 hours before the flight. After waiting in a very long line to drop off our bags (Southwest Airlines), we went straight through security (Pre-Check) and to the gate and boarding had started. We could have missed our flight if we didn’t get there early.
I think we will get there 3 hours early next time.
Hi David.
Thanks for sharing your experience at HNL!
Aloha.
My wife and I just returned from a trip to Kauai from Sacramento, CA. While we have been hearing of problems at the airports and with flights, we did not experience any problems. We flew Hawaiian Airlines. All flights were on time (2 flights to and from the mainland and 2 inter-island). We had no problems at the airports. We were TSA Pre (worth the expense) and got through Lihue’s TSA quickly (we estimate that the non-Pre line was about a 20 minute wait). We hope our experiences become the rule and not the exception.
Plan Ahead, Fly Private, Go Somewhere Else. Is what it is.
We have been a fair amount of times and never had an issue but in February, my husband was delayed at baggage check for so long that he missed the flight, leaving me to fly home alone with our 3 young kids! 😳 In that instance, their system wasn’t working properly and there was only one employee manning a long line of people. They weren’t even able to answer the radio when the flight staff tried calling down to them. It was bananas!! We will definitely be leaving hours early next trip!
It almost seems like Hawaii does not want tourist to visit the islands? Is this not Hawaiian’s main form of income? With tourism down what are Hawaiians doing for work?
B, did you read the part of the article where it says that one of the issues causing all this is that tourism is U? Way Up?!
Tourism is up, and like everywhere else we are having staffing shortages. Seems like we don’t have a slow season anymore. It’s either insanely busy or busy,
Great Newsletter!! Very helpful this time since I am coming to Kauai!
Hi Kathy.
Thanks. Hope to see you again here.
Aloha.
It’s really too bad our 50th state has so many problems and its number one income is tourism? Who wants to go to a place where you have so many problems with everything, just a mess. no thanks
B